Echoes of Transformation

Morning light filtered through the transformed water treatment plant, casting prismatic patterns across walls that were no longer quite solid. The membrane that Mishka had created pulsed gently, like a heartbeat underlying reality itself. In the hours since the convergence, the immediate danger had passed, but the world—at least for those who knew where to look—had fundamentally changed.

Mishka sat on the edge of what had once been the hub, now transformed into a crystalline structure that resembled a giant geode. Its surface hummed softly beneath her fingertips, responsive to her touch in a way that seemed almost affectionate.

"It's alive," she said, not for the first time. "Not conscious exactly, but... aware."